Debating the future of data centre cooling

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28 September 2020
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Two major players in the data centre cooling world will go head-to-head in a live online showdown to debate whether air or liquid represents the future of the industry.

The US-style debate will see Airedale International and Asperitas fight their respective corners and convince an online audience that their respective technology represents the future of data centre cooling. 

Matt Evans, Technical Account Manager of UK-based air conditioning solutions provider Airedale International, will take on Rolf Brink, founder and CEO of Asperitas, in  a bid to decide whether air or immersion cooling will be king in the next generation of data centres. 

A motion presented and debated, which is, “Immersion cooling is more energy efficient and will therefore overtake air-based systems as the preferred cooling method in most large data centres by 2030”.

Ensuring both representatives are given time to state their case and debate the other’s points, whilst making sure things don’t get out of hand, will be moderator and industry expert Mark Acton. The audience will be made up of consultants, contractors, industry experts and novices, all keen to witness this one-off event in which two competitors take on one another in a live setting, and you are invited to join in. 

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Airedale International has been providing air cooling solutions to data centres across the world for over 45 years and will be making the case that air cooling innovations are progressing at such a pace that there is no need for other, newer technologies. 

Marketing Manager Darren Farrar explains: “Connectivity underpins everything we do and the data centre industry is constantly evolving to keep up with not only demand, but also its environmental responsibilities.

"Cooling providers have to match the demands of performance with energy efficiency and as such foster an environment of innovation.

“Liquid cooling as a technology is not just knocking on the door of the data centre world, it’s threatening to knock it down. As a traditional air cooled system provider, we might be looking over our shoulder, but we are confident that with continued innovation, we will not be displaced as the technology of choice within most facilities.”

On the opposing side, Rolf Brink of Dutch immersion cooling specialist, Asperitas, argues: “Immersion of IT equipment within a dielectric fluid has been revolutionary in data centre cooling and is the most efficient solution for today’s high chip density units which generate a lot of heat. Plus, immersion cooling compliments wider goals to achieve an energy neutral data centre industry globally as it can allow 99% of the energy to be used as valuable thermal energy. Immersion cooling enables simplified data centre design and reduces energy costs, so we believe immersion cooling will be the clear winner in this debate.”

The event is free to attend and delegates are required to register in advance via www.airedale.com/coolwars